There’s a similar off-season pattern at Ole Miss. The lawsuit against the Nkemdiches is something from a year ago just now coming to light, but the arrests of Denzel Nkemdiche, Serderius Bryant and Channing Ward are enough in number to bring unwanted attention to a program under coach Hugh Freeze that prides itself on doing the right thing. And the sexual battery arrest of Bobby Hill before those rises past the “boys will be boys” level of offense.

There will be isolated problems. Hopefully for Ole Miss, that run of off-field incidents is now complete.

Auburn coach Gus Malzahn has said he’ll give high school football coaches a chance, and he’s sticking by his word. Malzahn, like Hugh Freeze, got his college opportunity after putting in time at the high school level. It’s not the most common route to the college game, but it looks like it’s growing. …

CBS columnist Gregg Doyel says Tennessee should hire Bruce Pearl as its basketball coach but only if the Vols have an opening. If they have an opening, they should definitely hire him, Doyel says. …